Let’s be honest…chocolate is not a new frontier for me. I LOVE CHOCOLATE…probably more than is actually acceptable. But hey, it’s a love that started when I was little helping my mom in the kitchen. I always helped because I was rewarded with the beaters from the stand mixer (and I didn’t get salmonella…knock on wood).

However, I haven’t done much cooking with chocolate. In general, I haven’t done a lot of baking. But in an effort to be more domestic (and in reality because I enjoy being in the kitchen so much), I’ve started trying new dessert recipes.

For Thanksgiving, I was tapped bringing a dessert. I (obviously) wanted to do chocolate and settled on a dark chocolate tart with a gingersnap crust. Initially, the recipe called for using crystallized ginger on the top of the tart, but not everyone in my family is a fan. So I swapped out the crystallized ginger and subbed in fresh raspberries and made a red raspberry sauce to go along with it. If I do say so myself, it’s pretty much to die for. The chocolate I used was actually bittersweet and the raspberry sauce cuts the richness just enough and really balances the flavors. Unfortunately, I don’t have any photos, but when I make it again, I’ll be sure to post.

Purée raspberries with juices and sugar in processor until smooth. Transfer mixture to strainer set over bowl; press on solids to extract as much liquid as possible; discard solids in strainer. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)